Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-25
WAS 1T MURDER.
A MYSTERIOUS FIND NEAR THE
BOAT HOUSE.
A Bloody Razor, Knife and Hat-Diferent
Theories Regarding the Affair,

A discovery made yesterday morning by
John Bamford as he was coming from his
home in the northwestern part OF the city
to the postoffice, has created considerable
interest.
Before crossingOak street bridge and near
the boat house he was surprised and start.
led to see near the roadside small pool OF
blood Looking further around he saw
bloody razor and pocket knife, brown
hat covered with blood and part of brick
bat
Sheriff Hays was Immediately notified OF
the suspicious find. He, in company with
Deputy Donnelly and other persons &C
ouainted with the circumstance, pro
ceeded to the scene. When the party had
reached the bridge there were already there
several gentlemen who were examining
the articles.
The razor. upon the handle of which was
rudely engraved the name OF 'Gordon
LYMAN was found covered with blood
and partly open. The jack-knife, large
three-bladed black-handled one, was also
bloody and was found open on the ground
near the razor.
The hat, which was also covered
with blood, was a well worn brown,
in size about 61s or 90. In the back OF the
crown was a cut into which the brick ~
ing near by fitted.
The next find was a common white hand
kerchief saturated with blood. Further
away was picked up memorandum book.
Not g. word was written upon any OF the
nages which would indicate its ownership.
- -. -plTf q
hand the names of \. T. Neiderlander,
Hardy Solomon & Son and Smith, ozane
&, Co. and further over short description
of a lot in this city. Between the leaves,
however, were found three conductor
punch checks, two white, one green; a
rail time table of the A, I. 5. I. K X"
some clippings one q piece OF poetry, ana
the most remarkable and mysterious OF all
"a letter 1t was written IN LADY s
hand and was as follows.
CHICAGO, Novemb Der II.
Ny DARLING GORDON:
received the letter you wrote TO me
from Kansas City and was just as glad to
hear from YOU as always was. am so
glad they don't know where you are that
don't know what to do. one has been
around TO the house all the time since you
went away but they don't get no satlsfac-
ton pa gets my letters from you out to
the stock yards so that nobody is any
] wiser. he gets YOUR letters from the west
! side post office the leage had meeting
/ last mite and they are going to have a
! LAWYER do something, so you can come
| back to us j am just dead to see you
| more for Just love you more than any
! body. i saw your mother last SUNDAY
! she said she had been weeping for you. so
| have i everybody likes you here and NO
/ l. II hIJf.
! and always am going TO be. VIII rite
! to YOU every time get chance. must
| close now. | think Of you all the Tune and
always will. must now say goodbye.
Your loving NORA.
| be sure to write me every time you get a
chance.
Tho finding of these articles melted fur
ther research. A purse, containing two
nickels, the headlines of q deposit blank
! of the Winfield National bank, upon the
reverse side of which was written "Occi-
/ dental HOTEL was next picked up and,
then. part of watch chain.
! a discovery which caused some doubt as
/ to the fact Of a tragedy being committed,
was the finding near one OF the pools OF
/ blood some chicken feathers. Still Sheriff
/ HAYS contended that this in itself indi-
! Gated little as it was an old trick when q
! murder was committed to attempt to con-
ceal its commission by this ruse.
! In the search for other evidences box
| Of children's shoes was discovered. They
were in box from Bryan, Brown
! & Co., St Louis Mo, and
! while they had evidently been stolen
! they were not looked upon as having any
connection with the affair under inyettiga-
! ton.
A close scrutinsy of the ground devel-
/ oped another fact There were fresh tracks
! in the snow of vehicle and of one walk
! ing either before or behind it, leading to
the spot where Mr.. Bamford discovered
the blood. Mr. NJ 5. Rochell who lives
! lust across the bridge says that the night
about $50 he saw hack driven over the
| bridge and afterwards standing still at,
| he thinks, about the same. place
as the tragedy was supposed TO
! have occurred. He says, too, that he
/ heard pistol shot about the same time
/ that he saw the carriage standing there;
and yesterday morning IS caliberrim-fire
cartridge was picked up near the boat
! house.
| The question most naturally asked is,
was it murders So far all investigation
made has failed to furnish a solution. The
name of the victim, if such there be, IS
unknown. unless that found upon the
razor and upon the back OF the memoran-
! dunn, Gordon Lyman" be his. An inves-
! tigation is being made by the authorities,
and it is expected that before long
/ something more than at present will be
! known.
| Sheriff HAYS has collected ali the evi-
| dence found and has them in his office
when spoken to in regard TO the affair he
| said that il may not be a crime, yet ne can
1 not think bat that there is an object IN all
! that was done. Some one may, as IS
limited at in the letter, be guilty OF crime
/ and is a fugitive from justice. He takes
/ this means TO give out the impression thar
/ he has been murdered. and thus all efforts
! to effect his arrest is abandoned by the au-
/ thorities."
Under Sheriff Brown is of the opinion
that a murder has been committed.
| Dr. TerriIl. who has some of the blood
/ found upon the razor for examination. has
| not Yet completed his analysis AMI viii not
/ say Il it be the blood OF a human being or
| of fowl
| Lawyer Stanley who was on the grounds
! sometime after the discovery was made BY
/ Mr. Bamford, thinks II was not g murder
only big joke
Pat Healy says somebody chichen roost
/ had been robbed the night before and the
execution took place at that spot
City Marshall Haiaes feels assured IN his
| own mind that murder was committed
and that he knows who are the parties
Some time ago man was killed down in
/ the panhandle; one Of The men implicated